Israel closes borders to prevent the spread of Omicron

In many countries, new cases of omicron virus mutation are now being detected and many have imposed travel restrictions.

Israel is the first country in the world to completely close its borders to foreign nationals. The country has so far a confirmed case of the variant and seven suspected cases.

– Our working hypothesis is that the new alternative exists in almost all countries and the vaccine has an effect, but we do not yet know to what extent, the country’s Minister of Interior Ayelet Shaked tells the Israeli N12 TV channel The Guardian.

The closure must be approved by the government and it will then be in effect for 14 days. It comes into effect at midnight on Sunday.

Citizens are being forced into quarantine

Within that time period, the state hopes there will be enough information about how effective covid-19 vaccines are against the new variant.

Israel will also reintroduce mobile tracking to track carriers, knowing who they have been in contact with, thus limiting the chances of the new variant gaining a foothold.

Israeli citizens traveling to the country will need to be quarantined, regardless of whether or not they have been vaccinated.

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